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There was plenty of venison stew leftover from supper. When Jasmine cooked, she made enough to last for several days. They didn't have the luxury of going to a grocery store a few times or even once a week to feed the Lycans in their group. So Jasmine would make enough that would last for days. Which sometimes drove the kids a little crazy, eating the same thing day after day. Until it was pointed out that Vampires had no option when it came to that.

"Oh and if you need anything, let Bruno know. He's leading a supply run that will be heading out soon."

Eden shook her head with a smile as Roxanna mused about the movie and a chat. It was fun to be with Roxanna and Zora. Even if Roxanna could have a dirty mind at times. When Roxanna said she didn't miss food, she replied.

"I do...I miss my mom's cooking."

Her mother had been a good cook and she missed the cooking. AJ had tried his best to copy her mother's recipes, but cooking wasn't his strong suit, so many times they were epic failures.

"Well...more like I miss her."

She said sadly and was glad for the distraction from thinking about her mother. In way, it was easier, though. Her mother was dead, she knew that. She didn't have wonder where her mother was. Not like she wondered if her uncle was still alive with his family. Or if her boyfriend and all their friends had survived as well.

When she teased her friends about 'hanky panky', she told Zora, when she saw how flustered she got.

"I was just teasing, Zora."

And it was her turn for her face to turn a little red when Roxanna said she did have ear plugs. She laughed, though, and said.

When Rachel mentioned shopping, it reminded Lina of something she had meant to tell their friends.

"Just so you are aware, I have access to the accounts that contain all the community's savings and investments," Lina said.

Since she was an accountant, Lina had been among those responsible for managing the community's finances. Though the community itself had been scattered, the money was still in various banks and funds, steadily accruing interest and dividends.

"That may not be as useful as it sounds," she cautioned. "I'm sure all the accounts are being monitored. They won't be expected to remain totally stagnant - even untouched, they would fluctuate up and down a bit with market changes, so we can withdraw small amounts at a time without triggering red flags. Only small amounts, though. A large withdrawal would surely alert them to our presence. It's not much, but it's something."

It wouldn't by any means be enough to change their standard of living, but it might keep the group afloat if tougher times hit.

Samira and Charu were a bit cautious entering the sickroom, but Shazia had more confidence. This was, after all, what she hoped to do with her life. She might not be a doctor yet, but she would find a way to make it happen someday. In the meantime, she wouldn't allow herself to shy away from illness or injury.

Shazia approached Horace's bedside and checked his vital signs the way Asif had taught her to do, then took a look at the patient's general condition.

"Not bad," she said. "Chase did a good job, I think. He seems to be on the mend. Resting is surely the best thing for him now."

The group had been rather frugal with the money they had been using over the last four years. Oksana had set up an account, being a human, she wasn't monitored by the immortal hunters, and they had been using money sparingly from it to get things the group needed to survive.

"Oksana has an account set up at the local bank for us to use for supply runs. Perhaps, as need be, we can move small amounts of money into it."

Clara watched nervously as the new girls entered Horace's and her room, and approached her brother. She knew Chase had promised he was resting and would get better... but... he was always so full of life, getting into everything because he wanted to know what it was. That's how he ended up on the woodpile first to begin with; he wanted to see if it was hiding anything. Now... he was still. Breathing and such, but not even moving in his sleep much.

Clara breathed a sigh of relief and smiled broadly when Shazia said Horace was no the mend. "Oh, thank goodness! He's my little brother... well, not that much younger than me, but still. I can't help but worry about him, especially now, when we haven't been able to find the rest of our relatives. I'm so relieved he's getting better again!"

"That's good to hear," Lina said. "It will certainly help to have the destination account in a human's name, rather than an immortal's or a corporate alias."

Of course, they shouldn't just transfer the money directly - but they wouldn't need to. Most of the money was in funds with multiple investors, so it could be moved more easily without arousing suspicion. Lina was clever with money, but everything she did was legal. It would have been foolish to do otherwise, moral issues aside, because drawing the attention of the authorities was never wise. As always, she would be careful.

Now that they had reunited, planning ahead for the future was a lot easier, and their optimism frankly felt a lot more warranted. They would be a lot safer working together and pooling all of their skills.

"You must have been terribly worried," Shazia said sympathetically. "When a sibling is badly injured, it... is very hard to go on. Like a piece of your soul is missing." She glanced at Samira for just an instant, then turned her attention back to Clara. "I'm glad he's doing better. We'll look forward to meeting him when he has recovered. Is there anything we can do for either of you in the meantime? We would be glad to help."

Shazia decided that before she left the sickroom, she would try to find Chase and ask him if he would be willing to teach her. She was still nervous about asking, but it seemed better to get it over with. If she waited, she might lost her nerve entirely.

"That's what we thought too. No one pays a little old lady much mind around here."

Rachel replied to Lina, glad to hear that Lina could use Oksana's account to help out. Not that they would draw any unneeded attention to Oksana either. Her account had a modest amount it. A believable amount of money for a woman of her age that lived on a fixed income. Any large deposits would draw suspicion to it. And no one wanted that. They had only survived as long as they had be flying under the radar.